Tubular sheathing channel to encase bunched cables

ABSTRACT

A tubular sheathing channel assembly for housing bunched cables. The assembly includes a longitudinally slit sheathing wall of elastic plastic material and includes a pair of projections which are molded on along the slits ( 2 ) and which are formed with an L-shaped cross-section, and which are embraced by C-shaped clamp members. Clamp walls ( 13 ) of the clamp member ( 5 ) are guided on the projections ( 4 ) such that they may be moved in a longitudinal direction and are equipped with fastening portions ( 6 ) in order to anchor the sheathing wall ( 1 ) on a carrier plate ( 21 ). The projections ( 3 ) preferably are equipped with an interlockable groove and tongue ( 10 ) and ( 11 ) on the inside walls ( 9 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/669,888,filed Jun. 20, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,231, which claims priorityfrom German Application No. 195 22 405.1, filed Jun. 21, 1995 and GermanApplication No. 196 07 559.9, filed Feb. 29, 1996, and are herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a tubular sheathing channel of elastic plasticmaterial for mounting a wire harness or bunched cables.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sheathing channels are used in the production of motor vehicles toinstall bunched cables or a wiring harness. Sheathing channels protectthe bunched cables to be installed against outside influences betweenthe points of connection. Another important advantage is that the wiringharness may be supplied as a unit for installation and may be positionedand connected quickly in the motor vehicle.

The wiring harness or bunched cables are first fastened or bundled withtraditional clips, tie wraps or other holding elements which are thenanchored to the vehicle body sheet in holes or on pins or on otherprojections in a traditional manner.

Fastening with two different devices for holding or bundling and forattachment is relatively cumbersome resulting in a high installationexpenditure. Additionally, a high degree of manual dexterity andconcentration on the part of the installer on the assembly line isrequired. Additional bundling devices are frequently necessary to bindthe cables, which are loosely encased by the sheath, into a tightbundle, which also costs time and therefore, money.

It is an object of the invention to design the above mentioned sheathingchannel for bunched cables such that the bunched cables are encased, andmay be fastened or anchored, quickly and easily in predeterminedattachment locations. It is a further object of the invention that thecables may be adjusted to the uneven carrier surface or to thepredetermined installation line, respectively. It is an additionalobject of the invention to provide that the installed bunched cables areheld by the sheath with as little play as possible.

These objects are solved according to the invention in that the walls ofthe clamps are guided on the legs of a tubular sheath such that they maybe moved longitudinally, and that the clamps are equipped with fasteningagents in order to anchor the sheathing wall on a carrier plate.

Additional characteristics of the invention are described herein whilethe design of the clamps and the legs of the projections simplifies theinstallation of the encased bunched cables because clamps may be lockedin predetermined positions along the projection.

Due to the meshing of the groove and tongue when the L-shapedprojections are joined together, the legs are located so that the clampscan easily be pressed onto projections along the channel axis, or pushedon from the side. The design includes groove and tongue shapes whichpermit the two projections to be locked immediately after sheathing thebunched cables which makes plugging in the clamps during preinstallationeven simpler.

Recesses in the sheath wall permit the encased bunched cables to beslightly bent to the side on the installation surface. In addition, theslits or openings also offer the advantage that individual cables may beattached or removed.

Accordion-like folds of the sheathing wall provide an extendablesheathing space so that the bunched cables, having varying bundlediameters, are always tightly encased, with as little play as possible.Again, the recesses in the sheathing wall in the area of theaccordion-like folds advantageously permit separation of a portion ofthe sheathing tube which is continuously extruded and rolled onto aroll, at any desired location and, if necessary, to be used asindividual straps.

In order to mount the sheathing channel as tightly as possible on thecarrier plate, it is an additional advantage if the bottom of thesheathing wall is also designed to be flat and with the lockingprojections arranged on a side wall. The bottom may be provided with anadhesive layer such as a double sided adhesive strip, to attach thesheath on the carrier plate. In this way the lateral anchoring by theholding clamps may be completely eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show several embodiments of the sheathing channel accordingto the invention and will be explained in more detail below. Shown are:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tubular sheathing channel in closedposition,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a holding clamp with lock cams seen fromabove,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same holding clamp seen from below,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheathing channel in an openposition at the time of supply,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of thesheathing channel with lateral openings in the wall,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of asheathing channel with an accordion-like sheathing wall and lockprofiles under a base wall,

FIG. 7 is a third preferred embodiment of a sheathing channel withlaterally attached lock projections and laterally installed holdingclamp,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of thesame sheathing channel as in FIG. 7, however, the base wall is mountedwith a dual acting adhesive layer,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fourth preferred embodiment having asheathing channel with a sheathing wall which is corrugated,

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth preferred embodiment of asheathing channel with elastic separating walls on the inside shown inopen position at the time of supply,

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the fifth preferred embodiment ofthe same sheathing channel shown in a closed position,

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth alternative preferredembodiment of a sheathing channel with a foamed sheathing wall shown inopen position as supplied at the time of supply, and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the sixth preferred embodiment ofthe same sheathing channel shown in closed position with a fasteningclamp.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The tubular sheathing channel shown in the drawings is made of elasticplastic material and serves to encase bunched cables or wire harnessesfor attachment on carrier plates.

The sheathing channel 50 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of alongitudinally slit sheathing wall 1 and of projections 3 having anL-shaped cross-section having a leg portion 4 which are molded along aslit 2. A C-shaped clamp 5 is guided on the leg portions 4 such that theclamp 5 may be moved longitudinally. The clamp 5 is equipped with amounting anchor 6 to anchor the sheathing channel on a carrier plate 21.

The leg portions 4 which project at right angles from the projections 3are provided with wave-shaped indentations 8 on outer edges 7 of the legportions. The projections 3 have inside walls 9 which are facing eachother The inside walls 9 are equipped with meshing groove 10 and tongue11 which are preferably designed to be interlockable (FIG. 4).

The C-shaped clamp 5 consists, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, of a baseplate 12 with two laterally molded clamp walls 13, having upper rims.The clamp walls 13 are equipped with opposed locking edges 14. Thedistance “a” between the clamp walls 13 corresponds to the total width“B” of the leg portions 4 and the inside height “h” of the locking edges14 from the base plate 12 corresponds to the height “H” of the legportions 4. Additionally, the locking edges 14 are equipped withentrance surfaces 15 which are angled inwardly towards each other andtowards the center portion of the clamp so that the clamp 5 may easilybe pressed onto the closed projections 3 from the outside with elasticdeformation of the clamp walls 13.

The clamp walls 13 are equipped with approximately semi-circular lockcams 16 which project toward the inside of the clamp and whichcorrespond to the depth of the indentations 8 and act together withthese such that the clamp 5 may be moved along the leg portions 4 byelastic deformation of the clamp walls 13, to a desired lock position.

As shown in FIG. 5, a first alternative preferred embodiment, thesheathing wall 1 may be equipped with recesses or openings 17 and 18 onboth sides of the projection 3 at regular intervals and cut normal tothe longitudinal or axial direction of the sheathing wall 1, which makesbending easier when the encased bunched cables are installed. Theopenings 17 and 18 additionally make it possible to add individualcables to the bundle or remove cables from the bundle, after the channelis installed.

A second alternative preferred embodiment of the sheathing channel 52 isshown in FIG. 6. The sheathing wall 31 consists of a flat upper wall 25with side walls having accordion-like folds 19 and a longitudinally slitbottom wall 20. As in the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 5, the sheathingchannel is equipped with two interlockable projections 3 which areprojecting downward. Below the lock projections 3 is a clamp 5 which,subsequent to being pressed onto the joined lock projections 3, may bemoved in the direction of the arrow L along the leg portions 4 and maybe locked in the indentations 8 via the cams 16 of the clamp.

The underside of the clamp 5 is equipped with a mounting anchor 6 whichmay be guided into a mounting hole 22 a of a carrier plate 21 where itmay be anchored. The mounting anchor 6, which in this example isequipped with spring-like expansion legs which may be pressed together,may have any shape suitable to be mounted in a hole, on a rim or on apin.

FIG. 7 shows a third preferred embodiment of an accordion-like sheathingchannel 53 in which the bottom wall 43 is closed and designed to beplanar and the lock projections 3 a are laterally molded thereon to sidewall 45. A clamp 24 is pressed on from the side in the direction of thearrow “A₁” and is pushed into the hole 22 b of the carrier plate 21 withthe mounting anchor 6 in the direction of the arrow “Z”. Slit openings47 and 48 are cut through the side walls 45, the lock projections 3 aand partially through the bottom wall 23 and the upper wall 25 so thatthe channel 53 is laterally flexible and adjustable when it is installedon the plate surface.

As shown in FIG. 8, the bottom wall 43 of the sheathing channel 53 isequipped with an adhesive layer 26 which is adhered directly to thecarrier plate 21 so that a lateral clamp 5 or 24 such as in FIGS. 6 and7 is not required.

In the fourth preferred alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 9 thesheathing wall 51 is corrugated in a longitudinal direction, similar toa corrugated tube, so that the sheathing channel 54 may be curved intoany desired course when the bunched cables are installed, and thereforemay be well adjusted to the prevailing circumstances and to theunevenness of the carrier plate. The corrugated sheathing wall 51 may besimply produced by extrusion. Indentations 8 a are preferably providedin the leg portions 4 a of the projections 3 a at the same place axiallyas the circumferentially extending wave troughs 58 in the sheathing wall51. The inside walls of the projections 3 a are preferably provided withan interlocking groove 10 a and tongue 11 b.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a fifth preferred alternative embodiment of asheathing channel 60 with elastically deformable separation walls 27which are molded on both sides of the slit 2 b and which cut wave-likethrough the inside space of the channel. The separation walls 27 aresupported in an area of the sheathing located opposite the slit 2 a. Theother end of the separation walls 27 may either abut on the inside ofthe wall 61 or the end may also be, as shown in the drawing, molded ontothe inside of the wall 61. FIG. 10 shows the sheathing channel 60 inextruded condition in which it is supplied. In FIG. 11 the sheathingchannel 60 is closed. As in the earlier embodiments, the sheathingchannel 60 includes projections 3 b extending from the wall 61 on eachside of the slit 26. The projections 3 b include leg portions 4 b. Theinside walls 9 b of the projections 3 b are preferably provided with aninterlocking groove 10 b and tongue 11 b.

In the sixth preferred alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13,the sheathing wall 71 consists of a foamed, thermoplastic elastomer,such as santoprene, while the L-shaped projections 73 are made of a hardplastic material, such as polypropylene.

These projections 73 are molded in one piece from the outside onto thesoft sheathing wall 71 on both sides of the slit 2 c via an inwardlyserrated flange 28 so that the inside the sheathing wall 71 restrainsthe bunched cables over the entire circumference.

We claim:
 1. A sheathing channel assembly for securing a wire bundle to a carrier plate, said assembly comprising: a sheathing member having a tubular wall extending in an axial direction and a longitudinal slit, said wall defining an interior space for said wire bundle, said longitudinal slit formed between a pair of L-shaped projections extending in said axial direction, each of said projections having a leg portion, one of said pair of projections having a longitudinal tongue projection and an other of said pair of projections having a longitudinal groove adapted to accept said tongue projection to interlock said pair of projections together, said pair of projections further having a plurality of spaced apart indentations extending into each of said pair of projections, said tubular wall further having a plurality of corrugations defining a plurality of troughs, each of said troughs extending around said tubular wall between said L-shaped projections; a clamp having a pair of walls spaced apart to engage said pair of leg portions of said sheathing member therebetween, said clamp adapted to slide along said leg portions in a longitudinal direction to a desired location for attachment to a carrier.
 2. A sheathing channel assembly for securing a wire bundle to a carrier plate, said assembly comprising: a sheathing member having a tubular wall and a longitudinal slit extending in an axial direction, said tubular wall having two semicircular portions joined by a deformable portion permitting opening and closing of said semicircular portions, each semicircular portion having an L-shaped projection on an outer edge and a deformable inner wall defining an interior space for said bundle, said inner wall spaced apart from said tubular wall to define an empty space between said inner wall and said tubular wall, said inner wall and said tubular wall formed of a single material, said interior space accessible through a longitudinal slit when said two semicircular portions are in an open position, said longitudinal slit formed between said L-shaped projections of said semicircular portions; a clamp having a pair of walls spaced apart to engage said pair of legs of said sheathing member therebetween, said clamp adapted to slide along said projections in a longitudinal direction.
 3. The sheathing channel of claim 2, wherein each said inner wall has a wave-like cross-section with a curved center portion.
 4. The sheathing assembly of claim 2, wherein one of said pair of projections having a longitudinal tongue projection and an other of said pair of projections having a longitudinal groove adapted to accept said tongue projection to interlock said pair of projections together.
 5. A sheathing channel assembly for securing a wire bundle to a carrier plate, said assembly comprising: a sheathing member having a tubular wall extending in an axial direction and a longitudinal slit, said wall defining an interior space for said wire bundle, said longitudinal slit formed between a pair of L-shaped projections extending in said axial direction, each of said projections having a leg portion, said tubular wall further having a plurality of corrugations defining a plurality of troughs, each of said troughs extending around said tubular wall between said L-shaped projections; a clamp having a pair of walls spaced apart to engage said pair of leg portions of said sheathing member therebetween, said clamp adapted to slide along said leg portions in a longitudinal direction, each leg portion having a plurality of spaced apart indentations which extend into said L-shaped projections. 